12 Tips for a kick-ass 12 weeks of Internship!

Hi reader!

I have reached halfway through my internship. Now you might argue with me and suggest that I should write this article once I am done. But there is not much of a benefit of gauging progress at the end of a project or a task. You gauge the progress, mistakes, and challenges while you are at the task. That is what sets you apart from the herd.

1- Be proactive

This is certainly a no-brainer. As a summer intern if you ain't pro-active, then should you even be interning? The question you should ask at this point is HOW. How should I be pro-active, umm... that too remotely?

The pandemic has raised far too many problems for us. A remote internship reduces your experiences by more than 50%.

• Coffee Chat: Organize coffee chat over Teams/Zoom/Chime whatever your company is using currently and send a polite introduction to meet/chat with them. They may agree/disagree with the idea depending upon their calendar and availability. But if someone says no, you have hundreds of other employees to ping to. Make sure when you do chat, keep your video on, even if they don't, try to understand the structure of the company and keep it no longer than 15-30mins max. (Try to know them as a person, keeping questions general helps!)
• Be an extrovert: For those who already are, now is the time to be the best extrovert you can ever be. For the introverts and ambiverts, try to practice this every day with some new stranger. A good way is to pick up a fellow intern. They are chill, your career does not depend on them, you can commit mistakes and that will be okay! You might end up with a friend btw. :)

2- Make Notes

Notes are so important I cannot even explain. Make notes about your project, your organization's structure, a session in the internship program, even make notes about the people you are meeting. Loads of tools out there to make easy notes. My personal favorite is OneNote.

3- Follow your team's work, even if it does not concern you

As an intern, you are subjected to specific work you are hired for. It will always be appreciated if you try to understand what others around you in your team are doing. The understanding of the team-functionality is quicker and better. It will also help you understand how much your work is making an impact on the team. At the same time, take the opportunity to help your team in understanding why you are here and how you are being helpful to the team with your work and duties.

4- Study the product/services

Whether you are in a product-based or service-based or a hybrid company, it is important for you to understand why they do what they do. The sooner you learn these answers, the better it is for you. Explore the products even if it means you using the product. Try to understand how does the company solve an issue with their services. Knowing these pointers might give you an edge over other interns and increase your chances to convert to full-time employment.

5- Always keep your video on

Even in meetings, keep your video on. Remote internships have a huge drawback, where people might tend to forget you. So always keep your video on. Remember: "Out of sight, out of mind!"

6- Prepare for your meeting beforehand

While most employees do not need to do this, I highly recommend this to all interns. Preparing before the meeting, jotting down questions, issues, or simply points can help you be confident during your meeting. You will stammer less. You will use fewer fillers. As an intern people find that impressive. Believe me.

7- Go out of your way to understand

During my internship, there were many times I felt lost during the initial stages. It is very normal and part of the process. The way you can come out of the "lost zone" is by exploring more than you are supposed to. You are bound to discover concepts, processes, etc. when going out of your way and increase your understanding of the work-flow.

8- Don't hesitate

Often interns shy out in asking questions. Moreover, interns are worried they might sound stupid. I'll tell you what, this is the only time you have a free pass to sound stupid, and still learn! So grab that opportunity. Ask when in doubt. Be clear of your duties and tasks. Make your mentor a friend. Asking doubts means you are working diligently. In fact, a mentor expects you to ask questions.

9- Get feedback

At times your mentor might give you feedback by themselves. At times a mentor wants to keep your morale up and not give you any negative feedback. It is YOUR responsibility to make your mentor feel comfortable for him/her to give you feedback every now and then. You can ask your mentor: "So it has been two weeks, how do you find my progress so far?" or "Is there something you'd want me to approach differently?" Also, be okay with negative feedback too. Think of it as an early warning that saved you from getting drowned. Now you have the time and space to fix it.

10- Stay hydrated

I myself need to practice this more. But it goes without saying, remote internships give you fatigue. Headphones in your ears the whole day, laptop screen piercing your eyes with blue rays, the useless chair that no matter how much you spend will ache your back are all some of the many stress points during a remote internship. Solution? STAY HYDRATED! The more you drink water, the more your body and brain will function smoothly. Plus, you gotta get up and relieve yourself more often, helping you in stretching.

11- Join the fun sessions too!

If your internship would not have been remote, you would have gone to those intern building activities. Remotely, these activities might lose your interest, but my personal advice is to attend them. Whether it is an 'Escape Room' activity or 'Pictionary' on zoom call, attend those. It will keep you less serious, and saner during your internship.

12- Relax, you are doing good.